The Kazekage's Wedding
by DecemberWildfire
Summary: It took a few years to get to this point, but Gaara and Harley are finally tying the knot. And the whole village wants in on it. (Gaara x OC)
1. Congratulations

A/N: Welcome to the third installment of fluffy madness!

If you haven't already, read the first two: "Where I Want To Be" and "Reminiscence." Otherwise this one might not make a whole lot of sense.

* * *

" _And we've got to find other ways to make it alone, but keep a straight face_

 _And I've always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance_

 _And up until now I have sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness_

 _Because none of it was ever worth the risk_

 _Well, you are the only exception…"_

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It had been three years since the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War. Almost a year had passed since Naruto's wedding and all of the chaos that led up to it. Sunagakure was calmer than ever, now that enemies were minimal and alliances with other lands remained strong. And for the first time, Gaara was finally able to focus completely on bettering his village and not having to worry so often about threats to it.

Largely due to the alliances, as well as the Kazekage's commitment, Suna's economy had improved significantly. Buildings were renovated, new attractions were built, and Harley had made it her own personal project to work with a team of volunteers to plant trees and flowers all around the village, making it greener and much more pleasing to the eye. Naturally, as it was a desert, most of the trees were small and not all that impressive, but they still looked nice. One probably wouldn't recognize Suna now, had they been there a few years prior.

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It was getting late. Harley was practically swimming in paperwork, figuring an all-nighter was a definite possibility. She sometimes wondered how Gaara could ever do all of this alone before she became his assistant. Especially after he could sleep.

It was quiet and seemed as if everyone else had left for the night. She continued to work in silence, but was soon abruptly interrupted.

"Harley!" Kankuro shouted as he burst through the door.

"Um… yes, Kankuro?"

"What are you still doing in here? It's about to start!"

"What's about to start?"

"The meteor shower! Didn't anyone tell you? The whole village is gathered down at the park to watch it."

"Oh. Well, no, I didn't know about it."

"Probably because you've been cooped up in here. There's no time for you to get to the park, so just go up to the rooftop. Quickly!"

"I don't know, I still have a ton of work to do..."

"Come on! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

She sighed in surrender. "Okay, but just for a few minutes."

He hastily took her hand and started dragging her out of the office. "I swear, you become more like my brother every day…"

They sped through the hall and up the staircase to the door leading to the rooftop balcony. Then she suddenly felt Kankuro nudge her towards the door while he stayed behind.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "Aren't you coming?"

"Don't worry, I'll be right there."

She opened the door and stepped outside, expecting the supposed meteor shower.

But instead…

There were handfuls of lit candles placed all over the balcony, as well as various assortments of flowers and scattered rose petals. And at the very end of it all, standing near the railing, was Gaara.

Taking it all in, slightly confused, she slowly moved closer to her beau, who was smiling so warmly. "The Only Exception" by Paramore was playing quietly in the background. It was their song.

"Gaara… what is all of this?"

"You look beautiful," was his only reply.

"Well, thank you, but…"

He started approaching and met her halfway, gently taking her by the hand.

"Seriously, what is all this?" she repeated.

"You once told me that you didn't want to spend your life with anyone else," he began. "It may have been a given, but I don't think I ever told you that I feel the same way. I really, truly wouldn't want to spend my life with anyone besides you."

He pulled out a small box from his crimson coat.

"I've never been much good at expressing these things," he continued, "but I just want you to know that you are, and always have been, my best friend and the dearest person in the world to me."

She brought her hands to her mouth as she quietly gasped, watching him get down on one knee.

"Gaara…" she muttered, eyes beginning to water.

"You inspire me to be a better man every day, and I cannot imagine life without you, nor do I want to. So, Harley Greene… will you be my wife?"

"Duh! Are you kidding me? Yes!"

Gaara's eyes were almost sparkling, as he stood back up, taking her hand again and gently placing the ring on her finger. She then proceeded to kiss him while wrapping her arms around him, almost too tightly. Not that he minded.

After a few moments, Harley suddenly heard a very familiar voice, seeming to approach them.

"That's good, hold it right there. Just let me get a couple more shots in."

Turning to the source of the voice, her eyes widened in shock.

"Hayley! W-when did you-"

Loud applause began to sound from behind Hayley, as Kankuro, Temari, Shikamaru, Baki and Matsuri entered the scene. Hayley kept taking pictures of the happy couple, and within seconds Harley started crying.

"Congratulations!" they all shouted in unison.

Harley turned back to Gaara, wiping tears away. "You planned this whole thing? And you invited my _sister_ all the way out here?"

"I asked her to assist me in finding the right ring for you. And… I thought it would make you happy to see her."

She glomped him once again, heart overwhelmed.

"You are my favorite person…"

* * *

A/N: just wanna say, all of this is happening while Temari and Shikamaru are dating but they're not married yet. So Temari still lives in Suna, but they visit each other often.

Song referenced at the beginning was obviously The Only Exception


	2. Moonlit Night On the Rooftop

The now-engaged couple remained on the rooftop long after the others had left. They were lying on cushions that were brought up and stargazing while they cuddled with each other, continuously staring at Harley's sparkly ring.

 _I'm getting married… I can't believe this is happening, to_ me _of all people_.

That thought was present in both of their minds. It had taken almost four years to get to where they were. Despite the fact that they always loved each other immensely, they both had struggled with self-worth and trust issues. Gaara, for obvious reasons. And Harley… partly due to her early childhood, and also due to the fact that she had once dated a guy before Gaara and was cheated on. She had basically sworn off guys after that, but with Gaara… there was no hesitation. It was like she always knew he was the one, even if she wasn't thinking it.

It took a while to work through those things, and Gaara sort of felt bad for waiting so long to propose, but there they were. Never happier.

"You know…" Harley began, hand interlaced with Gaara's and still staring at the ring, "I was really surprised when you first confessed your feelings to me. I mean, obviously I'm glad you did, but back then it didn't seem like the kind of thing you'd do."

"I simply wanted to be honest with you," he said. "And, I may have needed some pushing from my siblings beforehand."

"Well _that_ explains a lot," she teased.

"Also, even before that… I had a dream. I rarely ever have dreams, but I remembered this one."

"What was it about?"

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 _He was in her hotel room, taking a break from the office. He wanted to return a CD she had loaned him._

" _Why don't you stay and hang out for a bit? You spend too much time at that desk."_

" _I'm afraid I don't have a whole lot of time. I'll probably be spending the night at the office."_

" _Well, how about I make us some coffee, then? You'll need it if you're staying up all night. Ya know, now that you actually get tired."_

" _Okay. That sounds fine."_

 _She went over to the coffee maker and started preparing it, when Gaara suddenly let out a sigh and turned back towards the door._

" _Actually, no. I can't."_

" _Huh? What's up?"_

" _I can't just sit here and have coffee with you."_

" _Why not?"_

" _Because I'll want to stay. I won't be able to leave."_

" _What are you-"_

" _Because... I'm in love with you."_

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The village was asleep and all was quiet. But the two lovers were still on the roof, not feeling the slightest bit tired.

"I think our first date was the only time I ever felt nervous around you," Harley said. "Well, the beginning of it anyway."

"You mean when I went to your hotel to pick you up?"

"Yeah. I don't know why I was nervous, but it's funny to think about."

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" _Good evening."_

" _Hi Gaara… do you want to come in for a bit? I kinda messed up on the times and apparently the restaurant doesn't open for another half an hour."_

" _That's fine, I don't mind."_

 _The two slowly walked over to the kitchen table, standing awkwardly on opposite sides of it. This was the first time they'd seen each other since they confessed their feelings, and didn't really know how to act right away._

" _Can I get you anything?" she finally asked._

" _I'm all right, thank you."_

" _You sure?"_

" _I'm sure."_

 _More awkward silence._

…

" _Please let me get you some water or coffee or something," she finally blurted out. "I need to do something besides standing here like an idiot."_

" _You can take comfort in the fact that you're not doing it alone."_

" _Maybe we should… get a little closer?"_

 _She slowly made her way to his side of the table, awkwardly wrapping her arms around his waist, though they were still about a foot apart. He wanted to reciprocate but didn't know what to do. He had zero experience with dating._

 _Then she suddenly started laughing, almost uncontrollably._

" _...Is something funny?" he asked, puzzled and feeling embarrassed._

" _Gaara, this is silly! We don't need to be weird around each other. We're still the same people, right? Let's just go to a coffee shop, hang out, talk… just like we've always done. No pressure."_

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"And here we are," Harley said.

"Yeah… here we are."


	3. Wedding Day

A/N: I don't really know much about how Japanese weddings work, so I'm just sticking to what I'm familiar with. Plus I feel like Gaara wouldn't be too opinionated on things like this and therefore would let Harley take the lead in planning.

And if you thought I couldn't get any fluffier, THINK AGAIN.

* * *

The season of planning and preparations began.

Temari was put in charge as the official wedding planner, with Shikamaru assisting her whenever he was in town. She was pleased with her role, as it put her in charge and gave her a good amount of control over things. Naturally Shikamaru complained about the whole ordeal being a pain, but truthfully he was happy to help. He was starting to see Gaara as a brother more and more with time.

The wedding party consisted of Harley's best friend Jane from back home, and Hayley as the maid of honor. On Gaara's side were Naruto and Kankuro as the best man. Naruto was a little surprised, though honored, when he was asked to be a groomsman. Gaara had explained to him that he was one of the most important and influential people in his life and that it would make him happy to have him by his side on the big day.

One afternoon Harley was approached by Temari with one of her planning-related updates.

"I just spoke with the minister. He's offering to let you and Gaara use the church as your venue free of charge. He's _insisting_ on it, in fact."

"Really? He doesn't have to do that. It's really no big deal and we're prepared to pay-"

"Try telling _him_ that. He won't have any of it. He wanted me to tell you that he's honored that his venue was chosen for the Kazekage's wedding, and that the building wouldn't even exist if it weren't for you and the fundraiser you organized."

"Well, that's super nice of him. I'll have to go thank him later today."

"Leave it to me. I'm the planner; this is my job. I'll get you all set up at the venue, so don't worry about a thing."

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It was the preference of both the bride and groom to have a small, intimate wedding with only close friends and family. But with Gaara being the Kazekage, of course, there was the political expectation that the whole village would be allowed to witness it and that it would be a huge event. So the compromise was to have the ceremony remain private, and then the reception would be outside the church and open to the rest of the villagers.

The day was getting closer. Both Harley and Gaara thanked the Lord often that they had help from Temari and Shikamaru, because there would've been no way they'd be able to get this thing planned alone in a reasonable amount of time with their daily workloads.

They had taken notes from Naruto's wedding and didn't have to scramble to figure out who would guard the village and go on missions that day. Other villages were more than happy to send help.

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 _The big day…_

"Are you nervous?" Jane asked her friend, who was having her makeup finished.

"I'm… actually not. I mean, I've kind of got the butterflies because it's a big day and all, but… I've also never felt more confident. I love Gaara and I don't see any reason why I should feel scared or uneasy."

"I can only pray that I'll be half as confident as you on my wedding day…"

"Well, if you find the right person, I'm sure you will be."

"Okay, you're all done," Hayley said, putting down the makeup brushes. "Just one more thing."

She reached into a drawer and pulled out some small white roses, tucking them into the back of Harley's hair. Her hair was half up half down, so they fit nicely.

"I know you didn't want to wear a veil, so I figured this might make a nice substitute."

Hayley handed her sister a mirror so she could look at the back.

"It's... perfect."

"Hey, are you guys ready?" Temari asked, peeking in the room. "Five minutes until the procession starts."

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"You nervous yet?" Kankuro asked his brother.

"A little. But I love and trust Harley more than anything. I know this is right."

"You've become a fine man. I'm really happy for you, little brother. I mean it."

"Me too," Naruto said, leaning over and giving him a thumbs up.

"Thank you. I appreciate you both immensely. I hope you know that."

Before they knew it, the music started playing and it was time.

Gaara went up to the altar and watched as the bridesmaids and groomsmen made their way up to their respective sides.

He watched eagerly as his bride slowly entered the scene. His eyes widened at the sight of her and a bright blush spread across his face.

 _She's… so…_

The audience stood up as Ryan led Harley down the aisle. Words could not express how radiant she was. He felt his eyes starting to well up, but he kept it together.

They reached him at the altar and Ryan handed her over, nodding at both of them.

"Are you ready?" Gaara whispered, holding out his hand to her.

"Absolutely."

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"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

The audience cheered loudly as the newlyweds exchanged a long kiss and came down the aisle. They went out the church's back door to its private garden to get pictures taken and to have some alone time before the big party started.

"Reflecting Light" by Sam Phillips started playing from the small speaker out there.

"Care to dance?" she asked.

"We'll be dancing in a short while."

"Yeah but this can be our _real_ first dance, before we have to do it as a performance for the masses. Come on, sandman..."

She held a hand out, making a silly, flirty face. Amused and steadily smiling at his wife, he accepted. Though she looked like a princess, she was still a dork and he loved it.

Neither of them were dancers by any means, so they pretty much were just slowly rotating in a circle. But it was perfect.

Temari wanted to honor their time but was also being a clock watcher, as she could tell the people outside were getting antsy. After about a half an hour she called them back in.

"Sorry, you two, but duty calls," she said.

"It's all right. We'll be right there."

They came back inside and attention was lavished on them by their families and friends.

After the initial madness settled down, Hayley went up to Gaara, beaming as she gave him a "big bear hug."

"Love ya, new brother," she whispered.

He actually reciprocated this long, tight hug, without hesitation. Hearing those words was the icing on the cake of this day. Because he had always, _always_ loved her as a big sister.

"All right everyone, it's time to head out," Temari announced. "Remember the procedure."

"It's a pain, but it's gotta be done," Shikamaru said.

Harley and Gaara stood in front of the main door, with Baki and Kakashi on both sides of them for security.

Turning to her groom, Harley whispered, "Once we walk out those doors, this new chapter of life officially begins for us. You ready?"

"I've never been readier for anything in my life."

"Well then. In omnia paratus."

* * *

A/N: Sorry I really didn't want to write sappy vows. Figured I'm already being sappy enough. Just know that both of their vows were sweet and tear-inducing.

I know I'm cheesy but I'd appreciate feedback since I'm still getting used to writing Naruto characters and have no idea how I'm doing.

Also plz forgive me for all the Gilmore Girls references.


End file.
